Abstract
Children in foster care face numerous obstacles that affect their personal growth and development. One significant issue they face is instability in their living arrangements. This problem affects children and youths aged 0 to 18. Boys and girls are both affected but in different ways. For example, in boys, the effects are exhibited externally in ways such as drug abuse, violence, and defiance.
On the other hand, girls tend to be affected internally in ways such as depression and emotional trauma. The study conducts a literature review on empirical studies concerning the problem. Furthermore, it examines two interventions that can resolve the matter. These include the initiatives of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS). For instance, Court CASA focuses on providing legal representation, ensuring children are placed in stable homes, and offering educational assistance; conversely, the BBBS program mentors young individuals in social-emotional development, behavioral guidance, and academic support.
Description of the Topic
Foster care has played a significant role in ensuring the proper development of children from less privileged families. It provides a temporary home to children who cannot be taken care of by their biological families for one reason or another. The reasons can range from inadequate financial abilities to abuse.
Parental incompetence, dangerous environments, and other issues can affect a child’s basic rights. In such cases, the child is placed under the care of a certified care provider or a close relative. The main goal of this program is to enable the child to experience a safe, stable, and nurturing environment for the period when their biological home is not safe. The child can later be reunited with their family when the original threat has been eliminated or find a permanent home through adoption.
In most cases, the children placed under foster care have experienced adverse childhood experiences. Such experiences may include physical or emotional abuse, being victims of violence, living in dysfunctional homes, and being neglected by their custodians (Turner & Burton, 2023). These affect their growth, behavior, and general welfare; thus, they struggle to integrate into foster care. Consequently, these negative experiences affect their placement and might lead to disruptions.
Children with higher ACE scores often find it harder to adapt to new surroundings and build connections with caregivers, increasing the risk of placement disruptions. The influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on placement stability is intricate, involving not only the capacity of children to maintain steady bonds but also the probability of successful adoption or reuniting with biological families (Matjasko et al., 2022). Research indicates that children who undergo ACEs face difficulties in achieving permanent placements and are more likely to shuffle between different foster homes, intensifying feelings of instability and uncertainty.
Demographics
The demographics of individuals in the foster care system are diverse, spanning various age brackets, genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses (SES). Kids and teenagers may enter foster care anytime between being born and reaching 20 years old, which varies based on state rules. In certain states, kids can stay in foster care until they turn 18, but in other places, the age limit can go beyond that (Matjasko et al., 2022). This wide age span caters to the diverse needs of young individuals who require care and support beyond their families.
Moreover, both boys and girls encounter foster care-related challenges; however, research hints at potential differences between genders regarding symptoms linked with trauma, which could affect placement stability differently. Research shows that they become more aggressive and defiant and engage in bad behaviors such as theft and robbery, drug abuse, and property damage (Matjasko et al., 2022). These behaviors are generally outward and can cause harm to others. On the contrary, girls exhibit inward behaviors such as feelings of sadness, worry, social withdrawal, and physical complaints. Both behavior categories can potentially affect an individual’s daily functioning and interpersonal connections.
Furthermore, children from all ethnic backgrounds find representation within the foster care framework. However, certain groups may be overrepresented because systemic disparities and historical factors shape the prevalence of ACEs, contributing to instability in placements (Tumlin et al., 2023). African American and Native American kids are disproportionately represented within the US foster system (Tumlin et al., 2023).
Kids originating from low-income households have higher odds of entering this system, where poverty exacerbates consequences tied to ACE events due to added stressors leading to child maltreatment risks, thus resulting in fostering placements (Tumlin et al., 2023). Recognizing these intersecting demographic factors that create compounded effects is crucial.
Protective and Risk Factors Across the Ecological Systems
Ecological Systems theory focuses on examining the impact of “environmental interconnections on the force directly affecting psychological growth” to understand human development. Social scientists study the ecology of human development, which examines how people interact with the interdependent systems in their environments. This idea demonstrates how the social, psychological, and biological sciences coexist (Crawford, 2020). Human development is shaped by the interaction between the growing human organism and its environment Crawford, M., 2020). This illustrates how social context can adapt to an individual’s developmental path. Growth requires sustained, significant change over time.
The systems comprise individual, micro, meso, exo, and chrono levels. Firstly, on a personal level, the risk factors include innate inclinations and character attributes such as personality, mental abilities, and genetic predispositions. A history of ACEs can be a significant risk factor for children in foster care, increasing their likelihood of experiencing behavioral problems, mental health difficulties, and developmental delays (Kothari et al., 2020). On the other hand, protective factors include a child’s adaptability, resilience, and good self-image, which could all be considered protective factors at this level. These qualities can promote stability in foster care settings and lessen the negative impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Secondly, the risk factors at the microsystem level encompass the immediate settings in which the child engages, such as family dynamics, the school environment, and peer connections. Risk factors here may include dysfunctional family interactions, inadequate parenting, and negative peer influences (Kothari et al., 2020). The protective factors involve establishing secure relationships with caregivers or mentors and engaging positively with peers, thus offering emotional support vital to children’s social growth.
Thirdly, at the mesosystem level, risk factors include interrelations among microsystems, where inconsistent communication or conflicting expectations between home life and school routines can generate stress or confusion for youngsters (Frederick et al., 2021). Protective factors include effective coordination among diverse microsystems, such as harmonious school-home ties, which can shield against the detrimental impacts of ACEs.
Fourth, the risk factors in the exosystem include societal structures that directly impact children, such as parental workplaces’ environments or neighborhood conditions (Frederick et al., 2021). Risk factors might encompass community unrest or inadequate social services. Protective Factors include access to quality healthcare services or stable employment for guardians alongside safe neighborhoods to create a secure environment conducive to child development.
Fifth, considering the macrosystem level, the risk factors include cultural norms or laws within society from this layer, where discriminatory actions or poverty perpetuate cycles of disadvantage, particularly for kids in foster care(Frederick et al., 2021). On the other hand, protective factors include efforts to reduce inequality through anti-discrimination laws or cultural support for child welfare initiatives that foster a more supportive macrosystem environment.
Lastly, the risk factors at the chronosystem level are time-related, including life transitions or historical events; sudden changes, such as family disruptions, can pose risks. On the other hand, protective factors, including consistency over time and societal advancements in safeguarding children through policies, play crucial roles as protective measures (Kothari, Blakeslee & Miller, 2020). Therefore, examining Ecological Systems Theory is crucial when managing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and maintaining stability in foster care arrangements. This theory provides an all-encompassing framework for examining the various environmental factors that influence a child’s development.
Literature Review
Many researchers have conducted studies on the problems faced in foster care. One area that has been studied is placement stability within the foster care system. This section presents a comprehensive literature review of placement stability in foster care. Liming, Akin, and Brook (2021) carried out an empirical investigation into how adverse childhood experiences are associated with placement stability in foster care systems. The study involved 2998 children aged 6 to 18 in Kansas (Akin and Brook, 2021).
The findings showed that foster children were far more likely to face placement instability if they had a higher cumulative ACE exposure. When all other factors were considered, children with more than 10 ACEs had a 31% higher risk of placement instability than those with 1 to 5 ACEs, and those with 6 to 9 ACEs had a 52% higher risk (Akin and Brook, 2021). Factors such as a child’s race, biological sex, age at the beginning of an episode, and the presence of foster siblings all had a substantial impact on placement instability.
Placement instability can affect children in various ways, including increased school dropout rates. Bovu (2021) researched to establish the negative childhood experiences of adults while transiting from foster care to child and youth care centers. The results showed that, compared with young people without risk factors, those with all risk factors had a 8% high school dropout rate (Bovu 2021). Due to the disruption and logistical coordination between academic and child protection institutions, young adults who are in state care typically lose four to six months of academic progress every time they move.
Approximately 54-58% of these individuals graduated from high school by age 19, compared with 87% of their peers (Bovu, 2021). Furthermore, Camacho and Clark Henderson (2022) examined the social determinants of ACEs, focusing on place and access to resources. They explored how these factors contribute to the development of ACEs and their compounded effects, emphasizing the need to address structural inequalities and promote fair access to resources for better placement stability outcomes.
Developing resilience skills can increase the adaptation speed of children in foster care. Tumlin et al. (2023) studied the effect of resilience characteristics in reducing traumatic stress in foster children with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). The children were divided into three groups for the study; Class 1 included 58% of the sample, with an average age of 2.5 years, and was primarily made up of white girls (Tumlin et al., 2023).
According to Tumlin et al. (2023), there were more boys in Classes 2 and 3, with Class 2 having about 37% Black or African American students. Class 2 had an average age of 2.0 years, making it the class with the lowest percentage of the entire sample. Their research found that identifying and supporting protective factors that increase resilience in young foster children is important, as this will improve placement stability and their overall well-being. Furthermore, Schaap (2023) examined how ACEs, resilience, and gender differences affect placement outcomes in foster care. The study highlighted resilience as a key mediator in mitigating the effects of ACEs on placement stability, noting gender differences in resilience levels among children in foster care.
Examination of adverse childhood experiences can help in assigning victims to the right homes where they can receive specialized care. Kovács-Tóth et al. (2021) studied how cumulative ACE scores can be used to identify victims of intrafamilial childhood maltreatment within the child welfare system. The results showed that 40.4% of respondents in the Family Group Care group reported having experienced 4 or more ACEs, while 92.5% of teenagers reported experiencing at least 1 childhood hardship (Kovács-Tóth et al., 2021). Within the same cohort, 7.5% of teenagers reported having no ACEs, while nearly 30% had either 0 or 1 ACE (Kovács-Tóth et al., 2021). They suggested combining comprehensive assessments with multidimensional approaches to better identify and support children in foster care.
Additionally, Lipscomb et al. (2021) examined how ACEs affect children’s development in early education programs, stressing the importance of trauma-informed practices for supporting children with ACEs and fostering positive developmental outcomes leading to enhanced placement stability. On the other hand, Lacey and Minnis (2020) conducted a review spanning two decades on using ACE scores within practice settings. The study discussed their advantages and limitations and proposed ways these scores can inform interventions and policy-making efforts to improve placement stability for children in foster care.
Behavioral challenges exhibited by children under foster care largely depend on their adverse childhood experiences. Xu et al. (2023) explored how negative behavioral issues among kids in kinship care are influenced by ACEs. The study found that parental substance misuse, child neglect, and emotional and sexual abuse were all strongly linked to internalizing problems in children, while externalizing problems in children were highly correlated with emotional and sexual abuse. Externalizing issues in children were highly correlated with the total number of ACEs and having three or more ACEs.
The mental health of kinship caregivers considerably mediated the associations between child internalizing issues, sexual abuse, and neglect. Taussig et al. (2023) focused on identifying turning points that buffer young individuals with prior experience in foster care settings against the challenges they face. This could improve their outcomes by enhancing placement stability through positive experiences or interventions. Therefore, this literature review shows how ACEs affect foster care placement stability, thus affecting the children’s development and growth.
Interventions
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is an intervention that assigns court-appointed volunteers to children who are neglected. Persson (2020) conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs in tackling foster care challenges. The study involved CASA volunteers and supervisors in Essex County, Massachusetts. The demographic analysis uncovered a predominantly Caucasian and female makeup with diverse educational backgrounds. The research methodology included conducting interviews with participants to evaluate the quality of services provided by CASA programs.
Specifically, the study delved into court advocacy, placement in permanent homes, educational support, and improvements in children’s overall well-being. The findings highlighted both strengths and weaknesses within CASA programs. While satisfaction was expressed regarding court advocacy and certain educational aspects, concerns were raised about the adequacy of permanent home placements. Challenges like an imbalance between children needing homes and available placements, parental criteria, and difficulties finding suitable matches were highlighted.
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS)
Big Brothers Big Sisters is an intervention that focuses on a one-on-one mentorship to neglected children. Herrera et al. (2023) conducted a study to establish the effects of the BBBS Community-Based Mentoring Program on the social-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes of participating youth. It was a randomized controlled trial involving 764 participants aged 9 to 14 years (Herrera et al., 2023). The study assessed how the BBBS program influenced these young individuals’ social-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes.
The procedure involved randomly assigning participants to the BBBS intervention or control groups. The BBBS program implemented community-based mentoring within this framework by pairing youths with adult mentors who offered support and guidance. The study findings showed that mentoring had notable impacts on various aspects, including depressive symptoms, emotional symptoms, peer-related issues, behavioral problems, and the overall challenges score, as measured by the SDQ.
These effects were particularly significant for parent-reported outcomes and for a combination of reports from young individuals and parents during the evaluation at 13 months (Herrera et al., 2023). The results consistently favored the treatment group, with effect sizes ranging from 0.138 to 0.253 on Cohen’s d scale (Herrera et al., 2023). Therefore, BBBS has been an effective intervention in improving the heredity of children under foster care.
Conclusion
Children under foster care face many challenges that affect their growth and development. One problem these kids face is instability in placement. Placement instability occurs when they need to change homes due to challenges related to their emotional, physical, and psychological well-being. Persson (2020) concluded that CASA has been doing the best it can with the funding it receives.
On the other hand, Herrera et al. (2023) concluded that BBBS has been effective in providing mentorship programs to victims, thereby helping them grow and develop. Personally, I conclude that, even though CASA has been effective, there is a need for after-court programs to ensure victims’ protection beyond the court. Similarly, BBBS has helped many victims regain hope in life. They should recruit more members to improve their personal mentorship programs.
References
Bovu, K. (2021). The adverse childhood experiences of adults regarding the transition from foster care to child and youth care centers.
Camacho, S., & Clark Henderson, S. (2022). The social determinants of adverse childhood experiences: an intersectional analysis of place, access to resources, and compounding effects. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17).
Crawford, M. (2020). Ecological systems theory: Exploring the development of the theoretical framework as conceived by Bronfenbrenner. Journal of Public Health Issues Practices, 4(2), 170.
Frederick, J., Spratt, T., & Devaney, J. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences and social work: Relationship-based practice responses. The British Journal of Social Work, 51(8), 3018-3034.
Herrera, C., DuBois, D. L., Heubach, J., & Grossman, J. B. (2023). Effects of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Community-Based Mentoring Program on social-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes of participating youth: A randomized controlled trial. Children and Youth Services Review, 144.
Kothari, B. H., Blakeslee, J., & Miller, R. (2020). Individual and interpersonal factors associated with psychosocial functioning among adolescents in foster care: A scoping review. Children and Youth Services Review, 118.
Kovács-Tóth, B., Oláh, B., & Kuritárné Szabó, I. (2021). Can the cumulative adverse childhood experiences (ACE) score actually identify the victims of intrafamilial childhood maltreatment? Findings from a study in the child welfare system. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13).
Lacey, R. E., & Minnis, H. (2020). Practitioner review: Twenty years of research with adverse childhood experience scores–advantages, disadvantages and applications to practice. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(2), 116-130.
Liming, K. W., Akin, B., & Brook, J. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences and foster care placement stability. Pediatrics, 148(6).
Lipscomb, S. T., Hatfield, B., Lewis, H., Goka-Dubose, E., & Abshire, C. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences and children’s development in early care and education programs. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 72.
Matjasko, J. L., Herbst, J. H., & Estefan, L. F. (2022). Preventing adverse childhood experiences: The role of etiological, evaluation, and implementation research. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 62(6), S6-S15.
Persson, L. (2020). Examining court appointed special advocate programs in Essex County, Massachusetts.
Schaap, S. (2023). The relation between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resilience: Differences in gender and home placement?
Taussig, H. N., Roberts, L., Scourfield, J., & Franz, C. (2023).”I’m glad that i was given a second chance to live“: The buffering impact of turning points in the lives of young people with foster care experience. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, 6(2), 233-254.
Tumlin, K. I., Crowley, A., Turner, B., Riley, E., & Lyons, J. (2023). Detection of traumatic stress in the presence of traumatic experiences: The role of resilience factors in foster care children five years or younger. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 17(1), 39.
Turner, T., & Burton, S. (2023). Placement instability and its effects on the mental health of foster youth.
Xu, Y., Jedwab, M., Lee, K. A., & Levkoff, S. E. (2023). The negative effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on behavioral problems of children in kinship care: The protective role of kinship caregivers’ mental health. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 31(1), 41-53.